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For healthcare professionals, it is no secret that the last few months have been defined by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
However, in the midst of unprecedented times, Thibodaux Regional Health System has continued to strive for advancements and progress in providing up-to-date care for residents of Thibodaux and the surrounding areas.
“The culture of the organization drives the outcomes, and an adaptive culture—a culture in the pursuit of excellence, a culture [in which] people are good with change…We encourage that culture. Our leaders are buying into that,” CEO Greg Stock said. “We do have a plan, and we’re going to execute that plan, and we trust people to do their part of it and do it well and to be thinking ahead.”
As COVID-19 reached Lafourche Parish back in March, Stock said there was great concern for how patients would be treated, particularly when it came to the need for ventilator care. He said Thibodaux Regional’s infectious disease and pulmonary doctors became highly involved in changing the way that COVID-19 treatment was given, which ultimately resulted in fewer deaths and improved quality of life after contracting the virus.
As those doctors engaged in enhanced research, Stock said the Thibodaux Regional team combined their efforts with those of pharmacists, nurses and other pulmonary staff, participating in daily meetings to communicate changes, provide updates on patient care and monitor progress being made.
The next effort was to adapt to the increased need for intensive care (ICU) beds.
“We have probably a typical intensive care unit and what’s called a step-down unit, which is something that’s evolved over the years. It’s a little less intensive,” Stock said. “But, the question I had was, why do we have two of those? Why don’t we have one? And could we improve the quality of patient care and reduce the cost of care if we did that?”
Because of this factor, coupled with a heightened demand for critical care nurses, the hospital underwent a rapid 45-day process of creating 40 new critical care beds by consolidating the ICU and step-down units into one unit staged on an unused floor of the hospital.
“We’ve seen tremendous gains in that. It’s a state-of-the-art unit. It’s innovative. It’s different,” Stock said. “And I think it’s very forward-thinking, but it came out of that crisis.”
The final piece of Thibodaux Regional’s adaptation to COVID-19 was to engage in partnerships with larger outside entities. The hospital developed a research agreement with the Mayo Clinic and GE Corporation to better understand the virus and its effects. Additionally, Stock joined forces with a group of ICU doctors out of New York to make arrangements for virtual care.
“They’re twenty-four-seven critical care physicians, very well-trained, very experienced, who also provided support for our local doctors and insight,” Stock said. “New York was a place that experienced a lot of COVID cases, so they’ve seen a lot of it.”
Stock said he is proud of the way the Thibodaux Regional team adapted and created innovative solutions as the COVID-19 pandemic continued. For example, he credits the supply chain team for the fact that the hospital never ran out of personal protective equipment (PPE), even at the height of the virus.
“It’s just who you are. That’s what we try to teach, and we have these really great staff members that walk the talk,” Stock said.
As it continues to advance its COVID-19 response efforts, Thibodaux Regional has made strides in other areas as well.
Over the last few months, the hospital has recruited roughly 20 new doctors to its team. Several are currently at the hospital, while the rest are set to join the staff by next summer. Recent additions include neurologists Dr. Jessica Baity and Dr. Tashfin Huq, urologist Dr. Katie Flower and plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr. Catherine McGee, who is also trained in microvascular surgery.
A significant number of the new Thibodaux Regional doctors are women, including two urologists, which Stock said is a positive addition for female patients.
“I think that that’s going to be a really great thing for the women especially. These people are very well-trained. I think they’re going to do an outstanding job,” Stock said.
Stock said Thibodaux Regional’s newest doctors will bring a great outlook and commitment to applying and improving technology, which are factors that earned the hospital a five-star rating for clinical care from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services previously.
In addition, many of the doctors are from the Thibodaux area, which Stock said promotes more success for the hospital.
“They’re more likely to stay. They love this culture…Almost all of them have close ties to family and friends here, and they love it. So, if you love the area, you relate well to the people, you’re going to do better generally,” Stock said. “For those that aren’t raised here, that are not from around here, I think they come to quickly appreciate the wonderful people of South Louisiana.”
Another piece of Thibodaux Regional’s forward progress is its new cancer center, which began development last year. The new center falls just under 100 thousand square feet, compared to the current center’s seven-thousand square feet.
In addition to a size increase, Stock said the new center will create an environment that is peaceful and welcoming for patients undergoing an undoubtedly challenging time in their life.
“That feeling part is really incredibly important…There’s a beautiful chapel there that we didn’t really have space for in the old building—things like that, that are subtle and not-so-subtle that I think that the people here will deeply appreciate when they enter the building,” Stock said.
As construction of the center progresses, the hospital has recruited more medical oncologists to its team in response, as well as specialized doctors like McGee, who will be able to offer women breast reconstruction surgery following breast cancer surgery.
As of now, the center is expected to be completed by August of 2021.
Looking ahead to Thibodaux Regional’s future, Stock said he wants patients to know that the hospital is doing everything it can to remain committed to excellent patient care and clinical outcomes.
“That’s what we’re after, and that’s what we’re going to remain committed to,” Stock said. “So whether it’s buildings, whether it’s bedside care, whether it’s technology, processes, whatever it is. We look to do that in the best way possible and to continue to learn and innovate and improve and change the way we do things for the betterment of the patient.” •
